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In this month's issue

Taste.com.au - January 2012
Eat in, eat out, eat well. Look for the taste liftout on Tuesdays in the Herald Sun, Courier Mail and Daily Telegraph, on Wednesdays in the Adelaide Advertiser, and in Perth’s Sunday Times.

Pork belly is a delicious festive season treat, which will also impress all year round.

Step 1

Use a small sharp knife to score the rind or skin of a 2 and a half kilogram piece of boneless pork belly in a criss-cross pattern, without cutting into the meat.

Step 2

Place the pork on a wire rack in the sink and pour over a kettle of boiling water. This will result in crisp crackling. Dry well by patting with paper towel.

Step 3

Place 2 sprigs of rosemary, 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, grated rind of one lemon and 4 garlic cloves in a mortar and pound with a pestle to a coarse paste.

Step 4

Stir in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Rub the spice paste into the pork skin. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight to marinate.

Step 5

Preheat oven to 220 degrees celcius. Place the pork in a roasting pan and pour over 2 cups of dry white wine. Rub 2 tablespoons sea salt into skin.

Step 6

Roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 160 degrees celcius and roast for 1 hour. Scatter 2 thinly sliced brown onions in the roasting pan and roast for a further 1 hour until the skin is crisp and juices run clear.

Step 7

Remove onion and pork from the pan and cover loosely with foil. Rest for 15 minutes.

Step 8

Place pan over medium heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of plain flour. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in 2 cups chicken stock and a third cup dry Marsala until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug. Keep warm.

Step 9

Thickly slice pork and serve with the green beans, lemon wedges and gravy.